Laowa 15mm f/4.5 0.5x Macro

Extreme close-ups in a wider context

- Matthew Richards

I've been impressed with Laowa lenses in the past.

They tend to be well built and deliver impressive image quality, if you don't mind focusing manually and often setting your aperture manually as well. Laowa has produced many 15mm ultra-wide-angle primes, including the Laowa 15mm f/4 Wide Angle Macro, which was claimed to be the world’s widest full 1.0x macro lens, but was only available in two mount options for Canon and Nikon DSLRs.

The Laowa 15mm f/4.5 0.5x Macro sets its sights at a more modest 0.5x maximum magnification and is available in a number of dedicated mount options. Quite the two-trick pony, it aims to be one of the best macro lenses on the market, as well as one of the best wide-angle lenses. At the time of writing, Laowa only stated a US selling price of $399, which converts to around £299 in the UK. That would be a competitive price for a full-frame lens that combines an ultra-wide-angle perspective with a 0.5x macro capability, along with a solid metal build. However, some versions are smarter than others.

Build and handling

The design and handling vary depending on the mount option you choose. All are manual-focus lenses, and the Canon RF, Nikon F and L-mount versions are manual aperture as well. You will need to set the aperture via the control ring on the lens, which operates in click steps. The Canon EF, Nikon Z and Sony E mount versions have builtin electronics and communication with the host camera, so you can set the aperture from the camera body, as well as the full range of PASM shooting modes. These versions don't have an aperture control ring, just a focus ring, as per the Sony E-mount edition on review here.